The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-01-06
THE COLLISION ON THE B. 60.
Further Details Concerning the Fright
full Clash of Trains Near Tiffin.
Reported in Earlier Telegrams-Eyidence
that the Freight Crew We're Drunk.

CLEVELAND, O., Jan. 5.-The following addi-
tional details of yesterdays wreck. on the Balti-
more & Ohio railroad, near Tifin are furnished |
by special dispatch to the Leader:
The frightful wreck on the Baltimore & Ohio |
railroad, near Republic, yesterday, is still the |
prevailing topic of conversation, the chief part |
of which relates to fixing the responsibility 1t
is openly charged that the engineer of the freight
train was intoxicated. Whether this is true or
not is not positively known. One thing is GER
tain, and that is that great share of the res
possibility, if not all of it, rests upon the con-
ductor and engineer Of the freight. They knew
they were encroaching on the time of the limited
express before their train came to a stand.
Robert McAdoo, the well-known miller of Tiffn,
was On the Inflated train. and made the follow
ing statement concerning the accident to
porter to-day:
Il had been visiting friends in Washington
county, Pennsylvania, and started home on Mon
day morning, coming by way of Wheeling and
Bellaire. l came from Bellaire to Newark on an
accommodation and at IL o'clock Monday night
boarded the fast train at the latter place, taking
a seat near the center of the coacn behind the
smoker, and on the lefthand side of the car.
| The coach was we'll filled there being quite a
number of ladies and children. The train
| on time at Newark, and had quite successful
run, stopping only at Mount Vernon, Mansfield,
| Chicago junction and Shelby. l heard the en-
| glneer flow the whistle, for the road crossing
| just west of Republic, and, realizing that was
nearing home. raised to my feet buttoned my
overcoat and secured my satchel, preparatory to
| aiehting While thus engaged 1 felt the sud
| den application of the air-brakes, followed in
stantly by the jar of the reversal Of the engine
| Mechanically, l dropped into the seat,
and, realizing that something was about
to happen. grasped the back
| the coming shock. All this occurred in an in
| slant, and do not think three seconds elapsed
from the application of the brakes until the
| shock came. l was thrown to my feet by the
| force Of the shock. but did not lose my presence
Of mind. In fact had not time to realize the
danger until it was past. Great excitement pre-
vailed among the passengers in the car. particu-
larry the ladies. although no one was hurt be-
| yond slight bruises. l turned my attention to
| pacifying the women. when heard some one
cry, Fire. The front of our car was crushed in.
| but could see no evidence of flames. / raised
a window, and, looking out, saw the smoke and
flames bursting from the windows of the smoker.
| l then hurried the passengers from the car in
which we were, the fire was beginning to
make its appearance at the forward end. The
ladies passed out first, and think l was about
the last person to leave. l know there was no
one left in the car, and SO answered the inquiry
of the conductor. When I stepped 70 the
ground not FIVE minutes had elapsed
i Haen yes the interior 'e Of the the
smoker was seething furnace, in which life
could not have been sustained for an instant,
the flames pouring from the windows and the
ventilators in the roof. | mention this as sat
isfaction to the friends of those who lost their
lives in that Inflated My belief is that all,
or nearly all, were killed instantly, and none
could have suffered lingering death, for the
possible four minutes after the collision oc-
Cured. noticed Mrs. Postlethwaite and her
two children before the accident, and observes,
also, that she was among the 11ss 70 70 leave the
car. At the point where the accident occurred
, there Is cut six feet deep, and when came ou,
of the car I that the women ard children
! we're at the bottom of this / assisted several
of them up, including Mrs. Postlethwaite, and
started them back along the line of the sleepers
They were al placed in these coaches. except
little daughter of Mrs. Postlethwaitc, whom
some one carried to Republic, distance of hall
, mile, where she was afterward found
by her frantic mother We then pushed
5 the sleepers back to protect them
from the other cars, which were rapidly burn.
, ing. am firmly of the opinion that more lives
|, were lost than have been reported. 1t is known
that but two persons escaped from the smoking
Car. had occasion to look into the car after
leaving Newark. and noticed that it WAS al
filled, there being apparently from thirty five tt
fifty passengers 1t is possible, of course, tina
all but twelve or fifteen of these left the train a
NJ Vernon and Mansfield and that there wer,
no additions, but don't deem 1t probable"
/ Coroner Lepper will not hold an inquest for
dav or two yet He has arranged with the un
, dertaker at Republic to keep the bodies of tn
unfortunate passengers until Saturday. If the!
! are not claimed then, they will be buried.
There was Pennsylvania German in tn
smoker who escaped unhurt, walked soutl
about four miles to Rockaway station ard CAM
0 to Tiffn on the Pennsylvania road. He wa
e sitting about the middle of the car, quietly
!, | smoking his pipe when the crash came. Hi
q seat was wreDched from the floor. and, with it
s occupant. hurled through an opening in the to
8 of the car and landed in snowdrift The mai
was not hurt in the least.
The Leaders correspondent at Fostoria, 0.
relates a conversation with man who a
r the scene of the wreck. He says the gentleman
stated that he talked with the engineer of tn
wrecked passenger train, who stated that tn
g train left Chicago junction five minutes late
o When he pulled out his watch as he whistled TO
- Republic he found he had made up four min
y utes, and was therefore going at the rate o
J, sixty-four miles m hour. Just as they mad
the curve west of Republic the headlight
Q of the freight flashed into his face
/ He reversed his engine and went out,of the ca
% window head first, and only received slight in
z juries In answer to the question to VIII
q to blame for the awful affair the genrlema
); said: eft was clearly the fault of the freigh
g crew. l am satisfied The whole crew was drunI
l. and the condition of things bears me out in tn
s. assertion. l heard the brakeman of the freigh
admit that he drank with the engineer of tn
freight four times at Tifin, The conducto
re claims that the engineer was stubborn, and wa
ii bound to have his way. The engine woul
- not make steam, and died on the main track
~ only few feet from the switch. The Who'll
I'd crew was on the engine parleying as to what {
" do, when the conductor remarked, 4 guess
. go ahead and flag No s. He had only got to tn
= ground when he exclaimed, My God here sh
. comesn and they all broke for place of safety
- The gentleman quoted is prominent citize
- of Fostora.
ST a Possible Victim.
y SARATOGA, n. Y, Jan. 5--It is thought tn:
the man named Billiard, who was pinioned ar
burned under beam in the wreck at Tifin, We